Welcome to Curious Business

Every Friday, I post a small insight into running Curio City and/or Blue Hills Editorial Services. My most recent posts are directly below. You can also start with the first post, or use the subject labels to the right to home in on particular topics. Feel free to comment on anything that interests you.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Hurry Up and Wait

A week after I told Edge magazine's representative that we can’t get any Science Quiz Clocks to support their gift guide insertion, she replied that “it might have been too late” to drop Curio City’s name from the package (implying that she had tried). I don't want that to happen, of course. I should have kept my big yap shut. I assured her that I had a contingency plan in place, then asked her (for the fourth time) for the magazine’s street date. Four days later…no reply.

I still don’t know when, or even if, this is actually going to run. Meanwhile, I’m still postponing things (such as a major software version upgrade and a couple of doctor appointments) that could interfere with the anticipated surge in visitors. I will need to react quickly after selling the three clocks that I have in stock.
You’d think the media would cozy up to Curio City naturally. My wife has worked for newspapers, magazines, and trade publications her entire life. My in-laws work in newspapers and television. Many of my friends are in various facets of journalism, or have retired from it. I myself studied journalism and English; although I never worked in either field, I’m a competent writer who understands old-school publishing. Yet my attempts to solicit media interest over the years always came to naught. I don’t understand the highly fragmented, non-professional 21st century media realm. If there are millions of specialty media outlets today, there are billions of people clamoring for their attention.
I’m not much of a clamorer.

Business was perking right along until it inexplicably hit the wall last Wednesday. Now September is trailing LY. This would be an excellent time for that magazine insertion to appear. I see that their website hasn't changed from last month, so perhaps it's still in the works.